Michael Steranka, a prominent executive at Pokemon Go, recently gave an interview after Niantic sold the game to the new owner, Scopely. Scopely is an American mobile gaming company founded in 2011 that acquired Savvy Games Group, a Saudi Arabian-backed capital group in 2023. Currently, Scopely owns several popular mobile games such as Monopoly Go, Scrabble Go, Star Trek Fleet Command, and Marvel Strike Force.
The news of Scopely acquiring Pokemon Go has raised concerns among fans due to Scopely’s revenue model which includes advertising. This has led to questions among players about the fate of Pokemon Go under new ownership. Steranka acknowledged these concerns and mentioned that he has thoroughly researched Scopely, even engaging with their employees for several months before the official acquisition deal. He found that the Scopely team shares a similar approach with Niantic, especially in their focus on community engagement in gaming.
Steranka also highlighted that Scopely’s approach allows individual teams the freedom to develop each game according to what they believe is best suited for it. This policy extends to Pokemon Go as well. He confirmed that Pokemon Go will not introduce time-limited gameplay that requires additional payment, as seen in many mobile games today. This decision stems from the fact that the game was not designed with this business model in mind, and Scopely understands the key factors behind Pokemon Go’s success.
TLDR: Michael Steranka, a key figure at Pokemon Go, addresses concerns about the game’s future under new ownership by Scopely, ensuring that the game’s core principles and community-focused approach will remain intact.
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